Made from the producer of Domaine de la VILLAUDIERE, the Andre Robineau wines exemplify the principlesof patience, perseverance and precision put forth by Jean Marie Reverdy and Fils. From the management of thevineyards to the production of the wines, each individual perpetuates and builds on the work begun by previous generations. A blend of authenticity and modernity, our guiding principles are rigorously respected every day.
The Montgueux hill is located 10km away from Troyes in the southern region of Champagne. The Beaugrand vineyard is renowned for the typicity of its Chardonnay grapes.
Facing South East our vines are planted on Upper Cretaceous chalk and clay. We maintain a grass-cover between the vines. The age of these vineyards and our wine-making processes enable us to produce generous, complex and highly subtle wines.
After the First World War the Beaugrand family was the first to replant its hillsides. Montgueux acquired the Champagne appellation in 1927 and the first bottles were put on sale in 1930.
All our wines come from 45-year old vines. We select the finest organically produced yeast. Malolactic fermentation is used in order to develop generous, complex and refined wines. 35000 bottles are nursed in our cellars and kept at least three years before being released.
Facing South East, the Chardonnay vines are planted on Upper Cretaceous clay and chalk. “Our wine-making processes remain traditional. We have favored a reasoned approach by allowing grass to grow in our vineyards, thus enabling us to ban pesticides and herbicides from our estate”.
Bernard Gaucher vineyards are located in Aube, near Arconville, Urville and Ailleville, in the heart of “la côte des Bar”. A part of the vineyards is our property and the other part is rented. We use two kind of grapes : Pinot Noir but also Chardonnay. We use four steps in developing our champagne:
First step
The size : From December to March, we select the wood that will be used as a framework to produce the best grapes during the next harvest. The binding : During March and April, binding controls the growth of the vine by attaching the framework. The disbudding : In May, we select the buds that will form the grape.
Second step
The lifting, the rellising : During June and July, this work allows the vineyard to avoid growing in a muddled way. It is during this work that blooming takes place. The grape harvest will take place in 100 days. The trimming : During July and August, we trim and aerate the vineyard allowing a longer period of sunshine on the grapes. The grape harvest : In September, we pick the grapes completely by hand.
Third step
The grape harvests : In September, the grape is delicately pressed. The juice will undergo a first alcoholic fermentation. Using yeast which consume sugars and produce alcohol the juice is transformed into wine. We will then use a second fermentation to refine and develop the champagne. The draw or bottling : In April, the wine is bottled, and undergoes a second and effervescent fermentation.
Fourth step
The aging in cellar : during the year, the champagne ages in our cellars. After the draw, it has to rest at least 15 months. The remuage : during the year, we gradually lower the yeast deposit in the neck of the bottle so that it can be eliminated during the champagnization. For this, we gradually incline the bottle and turn it. The Draining : 3 times per year, at the end, the bottles are on points (the neck). We plunge it into an ice tray to freeze the yeast deposit, and the deposit is expelled. We add liquor, which will differentiate the Brut from the Demi-sec, and finally put in the stopper.
Champagne Phillipe Fourrier comes from a rich family tradition spanning several generations. After having mastered the effervescence and the development of this prestigious wine, André Fourrier was the first winemaker to produce his own champagne in Baroville in the early 20th century.
Recognizing this exceptional heritage, Philippe and Brigitte, decided to continue writing the story of Champagne Fourrier and have passed on the respect of the champenoises values and traditions, to their three children, Julien, Stephanie and Mathilde, who today are deeply inspired to pursue this beautiful adventure
Our Vineyard lies on nearly 18 hectares, our vineyard is located in the fascinating Region of the Côte des Bar, more precisely in the Barsuraubois in Baroville. The apportionment of grape varieties that we grow is 70% Pinot Noir, 29% Chardonnay and 1% Pinot Meunier.
There is a basic formula for making wines of unique character and complexity: start with grapes that deliver a unique character and true complexity.
Cultivating grapes of this type also begins with a basic formula: planting varieties that are perfectly suited to a location with a specific climate and soil. These basic principles are followed by winemakers across the globe who seek to produce wines of quality that can be called great, unique, memorable and meaningful. And, it is the most important element of our winemaking at Cartograph.
In the pursuit of making fine wine it helps to love the process of turning grapes into wine. We do. In fact, we believe that it is our love of the entire winemaking process, from carefully handling and selecting grapes and giving our undivided attention to each lot to scrubbing out tanks and barrels, that leads to producing wines that year in and year out consistently represent the unique vineyards they portray in the bottle.
Pinot Noir is our primary focus at Cartograph and we believe this wine is most satisfying and most intellectually intriguing when the winemaking emphasis is placed on balance, nuance and complexity, rather than power and intensity. This calls for a light hand in the cellar. In our view it also calls for picking grapes slightly earlier than most others who may be seeking to produce big, extracted wines. Our light touch and emphasis on balance and complexity also, we believe, produces wines that pair well with, rather than overwhelm, meals. Finally, our goal is to produce a wine that will age and transform into something new with each year in the bottle.
Our only white wines at Cartograph, Gewürztraminer and Riesling, are modeled on the great white wines produced in France’s Alsace region. We shepherd our grapes through a winemaking process that leads to a wine that is dry, crisp and of moderate weight on the palate to, again, deliver a wine that will pair well with foods and all seasons. – Alan Baker, Winemaker & Co-owner
Chateau de Berzé is a family property, built by the forefathers of the current owners to protect the abbey of Cluny, Berzé dominates a magnificent panorama the vineyards of the valley of Solutré. Built from the 11th to the 15th century around its Carolingian chapel, it retains its entire defensive system, thirteen towers including two dungeons, its impressive entrance gate and its medieval rooms. It is the most important and the best preserved of the fortresses of Burgundy. Each of the three enclosures is home to multiple gardens which since 2011 have been awarded the “remarkable gardens”
The Domaine of Château de Chamirey, planted in the best terroirs of Mercurey, covers 95 acres of which 38 are located amongst the most renowned Premiers Crus of the appellation.
Domain consists in 37 hectares (27 reds, 10 whites, 15 of which are Premier Cru) reflecting the diverse soils and micro climates found within the Mercury appellation. The whites, fresh and lively and well balanced. This reaches its finest expression in the powerful Premier Cru “La Mission”. Château de Chamirey red is true indulgence. It has a silky texture, and is very fruity typically showing the flavor of cherries.
Our estate includes 6 big plots of Premier Cru in the village of Mercurey which is almost half of the village agricultural area. The estate includes exclusively the Premier Cru “Les Ruelles” in red wine and the Premier Cru “La Mission” in white wine.
Coho is the aspiration of vintner Gary Lipp to produce flavorful, balanced wines. Grown in select cool-climate vineyards, Coho wines emphasize fruit purity and vitality. Gary has worked for
California wineries for almost thirty-five years: involved in all aspects of the craft, acquiring the skills to bottle his passion.
The choice of Coho as the name of the brand might seem curious as it doesn’t invoke images of vineyards or wine, but to us the salmon embodies an innate wisdom so essential to understanding ourselves and our environment. As stewards of the land winemakers must strive to sustain our habitat and the species that share it. And like the salmon we need the steadfast will to keep going no matter how difficult the journey.
Founded in 2002, COHO makes wines that are easy to enjoy, full of flavor and reasonably priced. Coho has garnered recognition from the press, wine trade, and wine lovers for the qualityand value of our unique, vineyard-designated Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and our Bordeaux Blend, HEADWATERS ™.
From then on the MEURGEY family has been amongst the most respected wine brokers, oenologists, winemakers, and traders in Burgundy.
Pierre MEURGEY, has been producing his Burgundy wines for 25 years.
To pay tribute to his great-grandfather, the ERNEST MEURGEY PERRON wines are distinguished by their purity and freshness associated with the typical flavors of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
In 1970, San Francisco firefighter Cecil De Loach, and his wife Christine, purchased the prized Barbieri Ranch in Russian River Valley’s coveted Olivet Road district. Both came armed with advanced degrees in anthropology but no background in farming or grape growing. That said, they had long dreamt of finding land their family could own and work together. For his part, Louis Barbieri, whose father Itilo planted the vineyard in 1905, was gratified to pass the vineyard on to a family committed to honoring its past and stewarding its future.
During those early years, Cecil continued his “day job” as an SF firefighter while he and Christine delved into their new roles as grape growers. They took classes both at Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Davis, read everything about grape growing and winemaking that they could get their hands on and availed themselves of the generous mentoring offered by neighboring growers and vintners; many of whom had tended the area’s “old vines” for decades.
A Pioneering Wine Family
In 1973, the De Loach family became the first to plant Pinot Noir on Olivet Road when they purchased a second vineyard property not far from their Barbieri Ranch. The 17-acre site, still has Old Vine Zinfandel (planted in the 1880s) and the De Loaches planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer, would later become home to the family’s first winery De Loach Vineyards.
By the time De Loach Vineyards opened its doors in 1975, Cecil and Christine had emerged as leaders of the Russian River Valley movement and were among the first to use that designation on their labels. Cecil and Christine were founding members of the Sonoma County Winery Co-op, with Cecil going on to become president of the group. Both Cecil and Christine have served as board members for Sonoma County Vintners, California Wine Institute and Sonoma County Vintners Co-Op. Christine and other members of Sonoma County Vintners that worked tirelessly to research and petition the TTB for Russian River Valley’s appellation status, which was granted in 1983. The De Loachs also championed the site-sensitive and environmentally friendly farming practices – including the use of nutrient-rich cover crops and beneficial insects, birds and biologics – that today comprise “sustainable farming”. In fact, Christine went on to help draft the first California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing in 1999.
A New Beginning
After the sale of their acclaimed De Loach Vineyards in 2003 to French vintners Boisset Family Estates, Cecil and Christine continued to farm and make wines from the more than 148 acres of vineyard Russian River Valley – and moved on to their next winery project.
In 2003, they launched Hook & Ladder Winery on Olivet Road, just down the street from their original De Loach Vineyards. Named for Cecil’s 17-year career as a San Francisco firefighter, Hook & Ladder is helmed today by grandson Jason De Loach, an accomplished winemaker who joined the winery in 2006.
Hook & Ladder is an “estate” producer, specializing in small bottlings of Pinot Noir, “Old Vine” Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends sourced from the family’s sustainably-farmed vineyards in Russian River Valley and its sub-appellation, Chalk Hill. The winery also produces and sells estate-grown Olive Oil from trees grown at their Los Amigos Ranch.
These days, Cecil and Christine can often be found at the winery they founded, helping out in the office, cellar and occasionally in the tasting room, which is festooned with fire station t-shirts given to the winery by visiting firefighters from all around the world.
During a career spent in Media, Gerry McSharry spent many happy years entertaining friends and prospective clients in some of the world’s finest restaurants. Whilst building his business, he developed his love affair with fine quality wines and a lifelong interest in Oenology. Upon his retirement from Media, Gerry, along with his son Paul, started a wine importation business in Ireland. They developed a small, but exquisite portfolio of boutique international wines previously unavailable in Ireland.
Paul, however, held a wider dream of being in the Winery, working in the Vineyards and learning the complete craft of wine-making. In 2009, he traveled to the Napa Valley and was able to make that dream a reality. He found himself in the extremely fortunate position of meeting and working alongside celebrated Winemaker Mark Herold, and there, between Paul, Gerry and Mark acting as consultant, MAZE Wines was born. The inaugural vintage saw only 220 cases of MAZE Cabernet Sauvignon produced, and slowly but surely, production has grown over the years to include a single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Knights Valley and the extremely limited production CLEW from two small vineyards in Coombsville.
2017 marked another chapter in the MAZE Wines story, as Mike Hirby joined us as Consultant Winemaker. We are delighted to have blended our 2016 wines with Mike and look forward to many years of great wine-making with him. His understanding of our philosophy and our mutual love of making great wines with fantastic raw materials can only be a great omen of things to come!
The famous Stagecoach vineyard is a huge planting in the eastern hills of Napa Valley above Yountville and Oakville. We have two blocks, one of which on the Pritchard Hill side and the other on the Atlas Peak part of the Vineyard. They are planted in rich, red Aiken soils and tend to be late ripening sites. The complexity and structure that develop with hangtime is phenomenal. The Stagecoach fruit makes up the MAZE Cabernet Sauvignon completely each year.
The 11-acre Collinetta Vineyard is located in the Coombsville area of Napa, the newest sub-appellation in the valley. Collinetta is Italian for “little hill,” and reflects the small knoll rising from the center of the property, which gives the vines a 360-degree orientation to the sun. The climate here is cooler than most parts of the Valley, but it’s sun-drenched hillside exposure and shallow, rocky soil make it well suited to growing Bordeaux varietals.
Blau Vineyard has 55 acres in the verdant appellation of Knights Valley in Northern Sonoma County, and is well known for the Bordeaux style grapes grown in the region. Since 1978 Blau Vineyard has been matching varietals with the soil on their property that is both well drained and gravely. It is the rocky volcanic soil that produces grapes with concentrated flavors while the cooler nights assure great acidity. Our Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec fruit all come from this Vineyard.
The Bennett Vineyard sits just around the corner from the Collinetta Vineyard in Coombsville. Being at the southern tip of the valley, the fruit is usually our last to be harvested as a result of the cooler climate. The soil and gentle eastern slope combine to create a wine with the lushness of the valley floor.
At Michel-Schlumberger, our winemaking philosophy is to craft elegant wines with a real sense of place – beautifully balanced and expressive of our dramatic vineyard landscape.
As almost 100% estate produced wine, each bottle speaks to the distinct soil, climate, and topography of our sustainably-farmed property, on the hillsides west of Dry Creek Valley. Nature is the dominant force in our terroir-driven winemaking approach. Sun-drenched days, moderated by cool coastal fog combine with volcanic gravelly soils and dramatic topography. The result is an ideal backdrop for creating balanced fruit, and full-flavored, complex wines. As winemakers and stewards of the land, we guide the process from vine to bottle by promoting healthy vineyards, walking every row, and sampling every barrel.
Each fall, grapes are hand-harvested in small batches during the cool early morning hours, then gently crushed and de-stemmed at the winery. We employ classic winemaking techniques for all of our estate wines, including sur lie aging prior to racking to enhance complexity and depth, and barrel aging in French oak for overall balance in the final blend.
“I love wine. My stepfather, George, introduced me to wine and I have never looked back. In my life I have had the opportunity to drink first growth Bordeaux and Burgundy from the casks stored in the deep and dark caves of their original vineyards. I have visited almost every vintner in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys of California, sampling their spectacular wines. I have tried the wines of Cyprus, North Africa and many other great wine producing regions, all while standing amongst their vines.
I created O’Leary Fine Wines to help give Americans access to amazing wine at an amazing price. 97% of the wine sold in America is under $14.95 and yet almost all of it is not what I would drink. I don’t want to go blind when I drink wine; I want it to be a wonderful experience.
I would never put my name on a bottle that I wouldn’t drink myself and serve to friends and family.
After months of trial and error, working and reworking, our Chardonnay is close to perfect — I know that for me, it has already become my mainstay white wine for friends and family. And I love our Cabernet too — the arrogant audacity of its nose and its smooth and elegant approach on the palate blew me away when I first tried it.
I can’t wait for you to try O’Leary Fine Wines and see for yourself. I’m confident that as soon as you let one sip over your palate, you’ll agree it’s spectacular!”
In 1976, a German expatriate named Robert Stemmler opened a winery in the Dry Creek Valley Region of Sonoma County. He was a graduate of the famed Bad Kreuznach Wine College in his native Germany who had made his way to California in 1961.
Upon reaching California, Robert Stemmler was immediately employed at the Charles Krug Winery in Napa Valley and later at such noted wineries as Inglenook in Rutherford and Simi in Sonoma. Along the way his reputation as a solid and foresighted winemaker continued to grow. As Robert Stemmler Winery grew and prospered, Stemmler chose to explore the potentialities of his favorite varietal that had heretofore met with little acceptance in California, the soft and subtle and hard to grow Pinot Noir.
His first releases were in 1982 and by 1984’s vintage, critics were hailing the Robert Stemmler Pinot Noir as the ‘Best Pinot Noir in America.’
In 1989, Stemmler sold his winery to a German company, A.Racke GmBH, who continues to operate the winery today. Its total production of around 10,000 cases is approximately what it was when it was sold to the German company.“The key to our success is quite simple,” Moller-Racke added. “The fruit we get from Carneros is among the finest in California and everyone knows that is the real key to any successful wine. Our volume might change according to the specific vintage, but is never less than 9,000 cases or more than 11,000. At that level we know the quality we are able to produce on an ongoing basis.”
“We only do one wine,” she smiled, “ but we do it really, really well.” Reminded about the chardonnay she also produces, she added happily, “Well, make that two wines, but both are really good.”
At Ty Caton Vineyards, our commitment to excellence begins in the Caton Vineyard where winemaker Ty Caton sustainably farms the hillside fruit used in his Moon Mountain District wine.
As one of the few exclusively estate producers in Sonoma Valley, Ty works with the grapes from soil to glass enabling him to make extraordinary wines that showcase the vineyard.
Forging a new definition of quality, Ty Caton is dedicated to Actively Seeking Excellence.
Villa Mattielli was born in 2009 on the beautiful hills of Soave, (eastern part of Verona, Italy) where our vineyards have deep roots. Thanks to the unique terroir with a mild climate and a good sun exposure, the quality of the grapes gives great wines.
This ambitious project comes true thanks to Roberta who, supported by her husband Giacomo, with great dedication and a courageous vision of the future decides to pave the way for a new brand, carrying on the four generations wine tradition of the family.
Terres Secrètes terroir is the classic limestone soils found in the heart of the Mâconnais, southern Burgundy. Grapes are harvested by hand and pressed full cluster, fermenting primarily in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks, with some 10% of the harvest fermented in older French oak barrels for six months.
My parents, Barbara and Jim, always had an interest in wine, both in its making and its consumption, and in food and gardening. In 1980, they were living in Midland, Texas, and began thinking about a retirement home. They decided to start looking for a small property in the Napa Valley where they could build a home and plant a small vineyard. This dream was realized in 1983 when a friend of theirs, Dan Duckhorn, called and told them about the property now known as Paloma Vineyard. When you operate and vineyard and winery, you never retire!
The property is located five miles northwest of St. Helena at the top of Spring Mountain. In the last half of the 19th century it was a vineyard, but was allowed to return to forest around the turn of the century. The purchase of this raw land was the beginning of an odyssey that is ongoing, ever changing, but with one goal—to grow the best grapes possible and make a wine that reflects the terroir of Paloma Vineyard, Spring Mountain and Napa. They were rewarded for strength and determination, receiving the Wine Spectaor’s 2003 TOP PICK over 15,000 other wines from around the world.
For those interested in such things: the elevation of Paloma Vineyard is 2060 feet above sea level at the bottom of the property and 2240 at the top; exposure is
generally east with many variations; and the soils are derived from the Sonoma volcanics and from Franciscan sandstone. Total acreage is 17 acres with 15 acres planted in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. My parents left me an amazing legacy—one that I will continue to maintain—farming, winemaking, hospitality—at levels that would make them both proud. Little will change! I can promise you that.
What we all love most about this lifestyle—is you—the people we meet from all over the world. You make the food and wine taste better and always remind us of how lucky we are to live in paradise! To all of our many friends and loyal wine buyers, we thank you for your ongoing support.
After harvest in 2016, I pulled an acre of aged Merlot and will plant 600 Cabernet Franc vines in the spring of 2017. Napa Cab Francs seems to get better every year and several very good ones come from Spring Mountain. So I am excited by the possiblities! Patience please! It will be 8 years before I will have a Paloma Estate Cabernet Franc to share. It will be called “Ode to Barbara” to ensure her ongoing support!
We survived the fires of 2017! Very surreal to be picking grapes and making wine while surrounded by fire on three sides with bombers and helicopters flying just above tree-top level. Hard to decide what to do with the contents of two workshops, a winery and 2.5 houses. Finally decided to just roll with it and hope for the best! Not knowing if I would have a home or livelihood was kind of daunting. The good news: We survived!
The next year, 2018, may be the vintage year of the decade. Even though we had lots of smoke from the Shasta and Mendocino fires, the temperatures were moderate, so the berries were plump and beautiful. A bumper crops for the whole valley and one of five biggest crops!